


Irkocalyptic

by BadLuckAlice



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Fallen Civilizations, Horror, Illustrations, M/M, Multi, New Irken Colonies, Other, non genitalia headcanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-03-24 18:30:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3779701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadLuckAlice/pseuds/BadLuckAlice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post apocalyptic future. The irken empire has been defeated and its people scattered across the universe along with leaders. Someone must deal with the crisis and help the refugees find a new home. Will the empire prevail?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Irken Armada was no more. Broken pieces of ships were floating in the cold void of space and a large royal escape pod was hidden somewhere between them. The purple, magenta ship was desperately looking for a place to land. Two weak signals of lifeforms inside of it were shown by the sensors. On a surgical table lied an irken with a shattered purple robe and broken armor. His breath was faint and desperate as he slowly bled out from many wounds in his body. His legs were almost falling off and his torso looked like it was used for target practice.

On the other table rested a little less injured irken wearing a red skirt. He was missing his left arm and left eye. He moaned in pain as the ship’s computer was trying to fix him. More of his transparent pinkish blood spilled out onto the cold metal floor as Red’s wounds were being cleaned and sealed. Meanwhile, Purple’s breath grew weaker and weaker, then it stopped completely and his PAK turned off. The AI didn't wait and quickly calculated the probabilities. It soon released a set of metal hands and began harvesting Purples undamaged organs then gave them to Red. The whole procedure took about five hours and Red’s life was saved. He was recovering fast. All the wounds were sealed and his scars were expected to disappear in three weeks at the most.

Red regained consciousness two days later. The pod was still nowhere close to a half-decent landing ground. The fallen Tallest woke up feeling horrible pain. His sight was blurry, so he tried to rub his eyes with his hand. It hurt to move it, but he forced himself to do it. Red groaned and waited a few seconds until he could see normally. Then he saw it. He wanted to scream but his throat was too sore. "Purple?" He whispered in a raspy voice. "How did he die? Why is his body so mutilated?!" he cried loudly.

"Tallest Purple died from squeedly-spooch failure, I used his good organs to replace yours," Computer answered with an emotionless voice.

Red put his hand to his lips to stop himself from vomiting, only then he noticed that the hand wasn't his at all. He never felt this sick in his life. His breath was short. Then when he thought it couldn't get any worse, he saw his reflection on the shiny metal floor; one of his eye was violet. Red was hysterical by this point. His claws pierced through his skin, more transparent blood dripped on the floor.

"What did you do?! What did you do?! What did you do?! What did you do?! What did you do?! What did you do?!"

Computer finally took charge and put him unconscious. He placed Red in a separate, clean room on a comfortable bed. Tallest Purple’s body was covered in a white cloth and moved to a small cooled coffin to preserve his body. Sealing it away would probably help to avoid further attacks of hysteria.

Red woke up with dried tears on his face and large dark bags under his eyes. His breath was still unstable. He ripped off part of his skirt and made it into a makeshift eyepatch to cover up the unwanted memorial of his now dead partner. It didn't seem that the computer would bother him anytime soon. Red was glad about that. He sneaked onto the bridge. Still no reaction from that wretched computer. Was he some kind of a sick experiment now? He clicked a few buttons then opened the manual control panel and shut the AI off. The lack of resistance was very suspicious but Red just shrugged it off, having more important issues in mind.

Red found his way into the temporary tomb of his co-Tallest. He stared at the corpse of his life-long partner, tears forming in his eyes, he removed the cloth from his face and placed a finger on his still soft, cold lips.

" Purple," he whispered. "Purple, I'm sorry. I know I didn't treat you well enough... I'm sorry. It should have been me!" He began weeping pitifully.

Red released a wire from his PAK and connected it to the other. He almost threw up at the sensation. They did it before, but this just felt so wrong. So... empty. He forced a response from the deceased irken’s PAK. It made him even more sick not only in the squeedly-spooch but also his mind. He downloaded anything that remained from his partner and it weakened him with every second. His mind began to fade away and soon he fainted. The always-awake computer curiously observed this scene without any empathy like he was some kind of sick experiment. He didn't have to intervene as long as his patient’s life wasn't in danger.

 

 

~.~

_**Hundreds of years ago in a royal nursery somewhere on planet Irk.** _

_~.~_

_Two really cute and tiny versions of Red and Purple were sitting on a small bench and eating snacks without a care in the world. They were both wearing identical blue uniforms._

_"Hey, Red?" asked the purple-eyed irken while digging in his pink frosted doughnut._

_" Yes, Pur?" answered the other one, sipping on a caramel flavored soda._

_"Do you like me?”_

_"If I didn't like you, would I spend some much time with you?"_

_Purple smiled widely at him, a pieces of his doughnut stuck in his teeth. He looked adorable._

_"Red?"_

_"Hmmm?"_

_"Will we always be together?" he asked, still munching, fixating his big purple eyes onto him, a little frosting stayed on his cheek._

_Red licked the sweet strawberry-flavored spot out and whispered, "Always."_

 

~.~

 

The AI shocked the Irken back to life worrying that his patient was falling into a coma. His eye patch fell off during the "electrocution". Two large bicolored eyes looked up in confusion. He blinked trying to remind himself of something important. Then he noticed a corpse in front of him. "Wha?!" he shouted. "Computer what is this body doing here?! And who is this guy anyway?"

The AI calculated that it would be for the best not to trigger any more of this attacks.

"He is the fallen ruler of the Irken Empire. I'm preserving his body."

He stared at the lifeless body for a little longer, noticing how beautiful he was, even so... incomplete. He had a strong urge to kiss him, but that would have been too gross. For now, a different issue was occupying his mind.

"And who am I in all of this? Shouldn't we prepare a funeral or something? I-I... I can't remember my name..." He said with a trembling voice.

"It's okay. Confusion is a normal side effect. You should remember soon. For the good of the treatment, I can't give away more information. It's for the best if you take it slow, and try to treat it as a mind exercise," said the cold robot voice.

"I guess that makes sense... " he agreed. "But we should think of some name to address me, for now... hmm"

He looked at his reflection. His face was bruised and covered in fresh scars, two different colored orbs staring back at him. He liked them, especially the one colored in a deep shade of purple.

"Heterochromia..." said the confused irken. "Hete...ro... Heto... Computer! Let's just go with Heto for now!" Though something deep in his head told him that that's a stupid name.

"Very well, master. I suggest you go and refresh yourself. I'll prepare you a new set of clothes."

Heto noticed that his robe was all bloody and shattered and that he really needed a bathe. He agreed instantly and came back to his room after receiving some directions from the AI. The irken noticed that there was no crew on the ship. He shared his worries with the computer.

"It's because it's not a ship. It's a royal escape pod," he answered in the same monotonous voice.

"It feels so cold... I may have amnesia, but I remember that I hate being alone... Shouldn't there be someone else with me?"

" Yes... you got... separated during the escape" said the computer, deciding that this information could trigger some curious reactions from his patient. Giving him a purpose would be good for his health. Event if it's a fake purpose.

"I see." His eyes brightened. " Then we will have to find him!" Heto exclaimed. So it worked, though the AI.

Heto undressed himself, completely noticing how badly injured his body must have been. What the hell happened? Was he wounded while protecting the Tallest? He went into the shower. He felt like the warm gel-like substance was washing some of his worries away. It felt so good, he didn't want to leave. But he had a mission now. He had to find his... friend? lover? sibling? It didn't matter. The knowledge that there was someone waiting for him was giving him strength.

He stepped out and got himself dressed. The new clothes were lying nicely folded on the metal locker. The outfit consisted of gray pants with knee-high standard boots, a light green shirt and a brown leather-like jacket with some markings on the back. They were supposed to be Irken insignia, but it was too dangerous to use them now. Instead it was a combined signature marks of Tallest Red and Purple. They were used in very private situations so the signs wouldn't be recognized.

Heto went to the bridge feeling much better. He really wanted to eat some doughnuts, or rather share them with someone. He tried to remember this person’s face or a name but it was no use. He sat down behind the controls.

"Computer, do you mind if I take charge for now? Let's speed up this baby!" he said. Somehow, this sounded so... right. Was he a pilot? He'll surely find out now.

"I don't think you're in the right condition yet, master."

"Whoops! Too late!" he exclaimed in a playful tone.

And the ship went in to the hyperspace.

~.~

_Logbooks - Heto_

_Entry #1_

_Um... Hi?... Computer said that recording these journals will help me with my... amnesia problem. So, let's get this over with! My name is Heto, at least for now... I can't remember my real name. Um... I woke up two days ago with no memory of who I am...or what happened. I'm now on a royal escape pod, but it's really more like a ship. There is no crew, just me... and computer... Oh! And we have a corpse of Tallest Purple abroad... in a cooler, he keeps me company... i-in a way._

_Let's see we have enough food and fuel to last a year, so no worries... I guess. I-I try to keep myself busy, repairing some stuff... Yeah... there is always something to fix._

_We went into hyperspace yesterday and we haven't picked any signs of life since then. There wasn't a single inhabited planet or even a space station. Nothing! We need to find a place to land or I'll go crazy! Or maybe I already am. It's really weird, you know... we flew past to planet Boodie Nen and it looked like it was burned to the ground. From Space! It's a giant ball of coal now! There's nothing there! They are all dead! It's... terrifying... what if something like that happend to my people... what kind of creatures are out there... with such power. Are they the reason Tallest Purple died? What if... what if... I am the last one alive... I-I gotta go now. Computer is calling me. Probably another repair to do... good._

_End of entry #1_

~.~

The escape pod finally bumped in to an old Irken facility after what seemed like an eternity. It was at least a hundred (irken) year-old fuel station and a trading spot. In older times of its glory, there would be up to two thousand visitors daily. Now, its only a pitiful ruin that looked like it was about to collapse on itself, forever floating without a purpose, somewhere in this cold void. Much like how Heto felt right now.

"We should take this opportunity and refuel now," suggested Heto.

"I agree," said the AI. "But it looks like the station was devastated during the asteroid shower. Most of the equipment is damaged. You will need to connect the pipes manually."

The Irken smiled at this. Finally something exciting to do. He began putting on his standard issue purple space suit. He attached some laser pistols to his legs just in case. He ran out to the hatch and barely activated the transparent helmet in time. Heto turned on his rocket boots and flew into the station. It was like something from a post-apocalyptic movie. The station was built as a mini-city with a population of over two thousand of various species, mainly vortians and irkens. It was functioning during Miyuki’s regime, though Heto wasn't sure how he knew that.

He was having a hard time finding a building that wasn't completely wrecked. All of them has lost colours and initial shapes. Suddenly, something cracked underneath him and he fell down into the hole, or since there was no gravity it might as well been up. Heto quickly regained his balanced and landed safely only to stand face-to-face with a creepy, bleached skeleton. He or she use to be a vortian and the now, rotten clothes suggested that this person use to be an explorer or neo-archeologist. One part of the dead vortian’s outfit was kept in an almost perfect shape. He took it and watched it closely. It was a very nice hat, almost no scratches on it despite the fact it was lying there for Irk knows what. He decided to keep it and it was probably the best decision he made since the awakening. The bicolored-eyed irken slowly made his way out from the tomb. He wandered around the platform holding the hat in his hand. He wondered if the computer would think it's a contamination and throw it away from the airlock. Heto wouldn't let this happen. It was his lucky charm from now on.

 

~.~

 

_Two teenage irkens were running around the facility. They were about to take the entry test to get into elite training._

_"Catch me, you woose!" shouted the violet-eyed young man. It was probably the last day when their smeetliness could be forgiven. They were going to be considered adults starting tomorrow, so they used every moment they still had._

_"Purple! Watch out!" exclaimed Red right before they bumped into the wall. They both ended up on the floor, their antennae tangled, deep green blushes on their faces._

_Red immediately jumped out of the other, shaking off his gray uniform. He then offered a hand to Purple, helping him do the same._

_"Sorry for that," said the guilty one._

_"Nah, It's ok... I-I got something for you," Red said, still blushing and pulled out a small, nicely wrapped, red package. Purple gasped and immediately opened it up. It was a necklace, shaped as a doughnut made out of vortian silver and hanged on red ribbon. Purple’s eyes sparkled._

_"Red... this is.. this is so cute! I’ve known you since day one and you still know how to surprise me. I love it,” he said with a smile._

_"It's for good luck," Red muttered, still blushing._

_Purple immediately put it on and hid it behind his shirt so it wouldn't be taken away and kissed the crimson-eyed irken on the cheek._

 

~.~

Heto finally managed to find the fuel tank. It was half empty but it should be enough. He took the huge pipe into his hands. Although Heto was strengthened by the armor, the pipe was still very heavy for him. His hat was safely attached to his belt. He dragged the pipe for what seemed like hours. The irken was sweating underneath his spacesuit. He finally connected the pipe with the ship’s fuel container. He leaned against the wall to take few heavy breaths. Then a plasma shot came out of nowhere. It hit his leg but the armor protected him. Heto immediately pulled out his laser pistols in both hands and carefully eyed the surroundings searching for the enemy. Something shiny was in a dark alley behind him. It moved. It looked like a solid sized crystal; could it be a crystalline? He never saw one in real life. At least, he didn't remember ever seeing one. How do you even fight a crystal person? He had to act fast, so he did the first thing that came into his mind. He shot it in the eye. The crystalline fell back down, hand on its eye and screamed in pain. Heto quickly ran towards it and placed his heavy armored boot on its chest. The crystalline was blue colored, shades changing depending on the light.

"Who are you?! And why did you attack me?!" he demanded.

The crystal said nothing, still occupied with its injured eye. It was cracked.

"Irken scum! You're all the same!" it finally shouted. The tone of its voice seemed feminine, but he knew that crystallines didn't have biological genders for obvious reasons.

"You were the one who made the first shot! I shot you in self defence!" Heto shouted back.

"I needed your ship! You deserve to be stuck here, not me!" the crystalline cried out.

"Perhaps I would let you in if you asked nicely."

It laughed cynically. "An Irken showing kindness?! Give me a break!"

"First of all, you don't know me! Secondly, not all irkens are the same!" The crystalline frowned at this and spat at him, but since this species didn't produce actual saliva, few tiny crystals were thrown at the air, or the lack of it because there was no atmosphere. That pissed Heto off and he aimed a laser pistol at its forehead.

"Common! Kill me! Prove your point, irken! Do it!"

"Damn you!" He cursed putting the pistol down and withdrew his leg from its chest. He stepped away from the crystalline and place his guns back into the gunholsters on his belts. The sentient crystal instead of being grateful shouted angrily.

"What's your deal, Irken?! Are you going to put me in chains and make me your slave!?"

"What?! No! What's wrong with you?!" Heto shouted back. "Fuck it! I'm going back to ship!"

" No! Wait! ... Please... Don't leave me here alone!" it cried out. It amazed him how quickly the creature could change its moods.

"Oh? Now you want my help?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Yes! I'll do anything."

Heto looked at this pile of misery and wondered if he would eventually end up like this. Being lonely for too long can make you really crazy. He rolled his bicolored eyes and sighed.

"Anything?... Hand me your weapons."

The crystalline hesitated and calculated every other possibility. It looked at Heto as he just kill and raped all of its familly, which might have actually happened in some indirect way. The crystal finally submitted to the irken and gave him its old plasma blaster and about six cracked knives.

"Is that all?" he asked and the crystalline only nodded its head in defeat.

"If I take you with me, will you behave?" he asked, knowing that he would take the passenger anyway. After all, Heto hated being alone and he could always lock it in the prison cage. Why did this ship even have one of those? Wasn't it suppose to be an escape pod, or a royal escape pod in this case? Was irken royalty just as paranoid? Was it in case of the passengers turning on one another for drifting in space for too long? Heto was shaken back into reality.

"Yes," it said with a trembling voice and tiny crystal tears appeared in its eyes. Heto helped it get up.

"So... what's your name?" He asked, trying to be nice, but there was a hint of irritation in his voice.

The crystal answered with what sounded like two stones rubbed against each other.

"What was that?" Heto said confused.

"My name, you idiot!" The crystalline replied rudely.

"Do you have an easier version?" he asked, wondering why his pak wasn't translating it. There should be some stone languages on his pak memory disk, if not crystal, then at least the rock one. Maybe it malfunctioned. He will have to look at it later.

" Hmmm... when I was on Vort, they called me Ion," said the irritated crystal person.

" Yeah, we can go with that. My name is Heto." The irken finally introduced himself to his former assaulter.

Heto disconnected the pipe from the ship and secured its entrance. A little of fuel was spilled during this action. He walked into the escape pod and used the code for a new passenger to inform the computer. The AI was a bit suspicious to say the least but agreed that some company would be good for its patient. Though it kept a close eye on the newcomer. The irken invited Ion to the deck. The crystalline wanted to say some snotty comment but managed to stop itself for its own good. Heto showed his new companion around the ship, leaving out Purple’s temporary tomb. It didn't need to know about this. They stopped at the crystal’s new quarters.

"It seems kind of cold," Ion commented. "But I ain't complaining, just you know... It feels kinda... sad." Ion sat on its new bed. Heto was still standing in the entrance, not wanting to invade its privacy.

"I know what you mean..." he whispered, looking at the purple walls decorated with endless amount of wires. "If you’ll excuse me, I need to get some rest now."

Ion noded and Heto left closing the door behind him. He did what he was told and lied down on the pink bed, slowly drifting to sleep. At least something happened today and he was looking forward to the future. Heto then fell asleep with a smile on his face.

 

_~.~_

 

_Purple was studying late again. He was sitting half naked on the bed with a tablet in his hands, wearing only his black skin tight pants. His chest was well formed due to the elite training. He looked more mature now and somewhat handsome, not as much as Red of course. Lucky bastard also gotten taller. Speaking of the devil, something suddenly flew through Purple’s window. This something was one crimson-eyed irken with a stupid grin on his face. Idiot._

_"What the hell are you doing here at this hour?!" the violet-eyed irken asked angrily. "Do you want for us to get expelled?"_

_Red joined Purple in bed lying down next to him on the soft scarlet sheets. "Shhh," he said placing a finger on Purple’s lips and whispered, "I missed you."_

_"I missed you, too." the official resident of the room whispered back, hugging his guest. "Even if you're so stupid." They both chuckled._

_"You want to hear something really stupid?" Red asked, playing with the other’s antenna._

_"Hmm?" Purple purred curiously while being pleasured by his companion._

_"I love you."_

_His purple eyes widened with shock. He looked at Red to see if he was just joking but however was met with a serious expression. It was so much like him to make this type of confession so casually. Purple fought with his thoughts, but a few second later he began to place kisses on Red’s neck._

_"I think... I love you to." He grabbed the visitor’s antenna too and began stroking it._

_They connected their hands together and lay cuddled to each other until early morning, talking about nonsense and enjoying their time together. A quiet chuckle was released from time-to-time, accompanied by some kisses. Their breaths were meeting in half-way, but their lips stayed apart. The intruder had to leave before his absence could be noticed. It was forbidden to leave your room after a certain hour. It keeps the distractions away._

_"Will you come this evening, too?" Purple asked in a soft, sleepy voice. Red simply answered with a smile._

  


 


	2. Chapter 2

The irken with bicolored eyes was woken up by the sound of alarm going on. Have they finally found a planet? Heto fell asleep in his clothes, so he simply jumped out of the bed and grabbed his hat. He ran down the hallway, looking for the source of the noise. The inside of the ship seemed colder and more sinister than usual. He was shocked when the sound had led him right into the cooler. The door was open and he noticed a slight glimmer of crystal in the shadows. The white cloth from Purple’s body was displaced showing his mutilated face.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Heto asked furiously. Ion jumped up, eyes widen in fear. It moved away from Tallest Purple’s corpse, getting closer to the wall.

"S-stay away!" it shouted in a shaking voice.

"What are you doing here, Ion?" Heto hissed through his teeth.

"Nothing!" it denied and made tinkling noises as it trembled with fear.

"What are you doing here?!" He repeated slowly, losing control. Ion look at the corpse, then at Heto and at the dead body again.

"A-are you the other one?"

"What other one?" Heto asked, confused. The crystalline finally noticed the lack of thumbs, which only confirmed its suspicions. How could it have missed that? The crystal tried to run but it accidentally bumped into Tallest Purple’s lifeless body.

"Don't touch him!" he shouted, not sounding like himself. His face began to change somehow. He closed the violet eye shut.

"You are right to fear me," He growled in Tallest Red’s voice, getting closer to the crystalline. He pulled out the laser gun and pointed it at Ion.

"P-please don't kill me!" The crystal began to sob uncontrollably.

"Then answer my question: What were you doing here?" He repeated for the third time.

"I-I j-just found him... I swear! I don't know!" Ion was hysterical, knowing that its doom would come soon.

Suddenly Heto lost his balance. His pak was making all kinds of strange noises. The crystalline used this moment and ran away as fast as it could to find a good hiding place. The irken was in pain, something inside of him was fighting for dominance. His back, where the pak was connected, burned. It was unbearable and he began to hyperventilate. His sight became blurry, bright stars were projected before his eyes. Heto managed to sit down, lying against the wall and fainted soon after.

~.~

_*Message unblocked*_

  _The pain. It stopped... Red, where are you? It's so cold! So cold! Fre%#0##%#%ezing!_

     _Red? Where are you? It’s so empty here... So co%00#%%%ld. I can't hear anything. There is no sound... It... It seems disto#0#%rted, like it's snowing..%#%#0%0 It's so cold, Red. So cold! Get me o0#%# 0ut of here! Please! Red! Help me! Freezing! So cold... so... 0%#%#0#%#_

_*Static*_

_*End of message*_

_~.~_

The darkness was the first thing he saw after waking up. All of his limbs were sore. It hurt to move. He slowly began to stand up, getting some stability from the table behind him. His hand touched something cold, yet familiar. He looked at the curious thing and jumped up out of fear. He tried to scream but his throat wasn't able to produce any sounds. The irken slid back onto the floor, sobbing and hugging himself.

"Red... what have you done you pitiful fool..." he murmured, rocking back and forth. Soon enough his pak began to produce those strange noises again and he was put back unconscious.

_~.~_

_It wasn't always easy in the irken military academy. The staff made sure that the discipline was the most important thing cadets had to learn. And so there were several different methods to teach one that, starting from cutting the food portions to locking one in the isolation ward with no food or light for three days. It only happened once in this bunch though and to one really short and really loud irken who always knew better. The most popular punishment was whipping and it happened almost on an everyday basis, always before the eyes of other cadets. It served two purposes: one, to make them immune to physical pain and two, to set an example. There were different ways to get yourself whipped, sometimes looking at your instructor the wrong way. That was the case today. Purple was in a very shitty mood since the day started. All he wanted was to patiently wait until evening and then pay off his doughnut dealer who was supposed to come yesterday. He hated when there was no snacks. And then it happened; he tripped and fell down right before instructor Gri’s feet. Gri was an average tall war veteran with one green eye. The other one was non-existent due to half of his face being burned out. Besides his unpleasant appearance, Gri was also famous for his temper and sadism._

_"What do you think you're doing, soldier?!" He didn't even give Purple time to answer. "Don't just lie here! Stand up! And why are you looking like this at me?!" Gri kicked him in the ribs, making him lose balance "That's it, cadet. 100 whips for you! Meeting in an hour everyone!" Purple finally managed to stand up, fear in his eyes._

_Meanwhile, one crimson-eyed irken tried to enjoy the break and read his book in peace. Suddenly one generic looking pink eyed irken ran into his room, and before he could even react the intruder shouted "Hey Red, your boyfriend is gonna get whipped!" And ran off as quickly as he appeared._

_"What?!" Red exclaimed and went out to get some more information. He found himself on the main square and saw Purple already cuffed back to the wall, his pak connected by the extended wires, locked in a protective case. The scarlet-eyed irken gasped when he saw who was doing the whipping. He had to do something or his partner would be turned into a bloody pulp. He stepped out and said to Gri "Sir! I-I wish to take the half of Purple’s punishment!"_

_The instructor just laughed at him "You think you two have something special, ha?!" He slapped Reds face "There is no way I'll let you..."_

_"Let him do it Gri!" He was interrupted. He wanted to bark something back but the sound got stuck in his throat when he saw who he would talk back to. "Tallest Miyuki? I mean... Yes, my Tallest!" He saluted and few second later Red was cuffed to the wall right next to Purple._

_"What do you think you doing?! You moron!" The violet-eyed irken hissed._

_"You said it yourself, I can't help being an idiot," He answered with a big smile._

_"Go away! I can handle this!"_

_" I'm afraid it's already too late for that."_

_Purple angrily turned his head away from the crimson-eyed irken._

_"Begin!" Miyuki’s voice was spread around the room and all they could remember was the sound of the whip in the air. One. Two. Three. It hurt like hell, but they made sure not to make any sound. Not in front of the Tallest and especially not in front of Gri. Four. Five. Six. Seven... Purple noticed that a small puddle of blood was forming below his feet. Eight. Nine...and so on. They tried to hold their shit together. Just a few more. More blood was spilled on the floor. Finally! Fifty! They were free. Gri uncuffed them from the wall and they made sure not to fall on the ground like smeets. Somehow they got to the medic on their own feet. Red tried to help his violet-eyed partner, but his gestures were rejected each time. Purple walked in first. Soon, a nurse came to take the other injured irken to another room._

_~.~_

Heto woke up confused again. How many more times will that happen? He was so tired of it. The irken quickly shook out his confusion.

"Computer, where is Ion?" He asked, concerned, hoping he hadn't hurt the creature during his blackout. He was met with no answer.

"Computer?" Heto was beginning to panic, so he left the cooler in a hurry and began to search the ship frantically. He finally found himself in the engine room. It was locked from the inside. He knocked.

"Ion, are you there?" The bicolored eyed irken asked. Still no answer.

"Computer?!"

He heard a feral scream. What the hell was going on? Heto looked for the manual way to open the door. He then noticed that the temperature was far above the limit and was still rising. Now he really was panicking. If this kept up, the ship would blow up! And why was Ion screaming? Heto had a quick flashback from yesterday. When you heat up the crystal accordingly, it will crack. Oh no!

"Computer! I order you to open this door!" He shouted.

"I'm afraid I can not do it, master." The metallic voice answered from above.

"Computer, open the fucking door!"

He heard another scream. No, no no...

"Manual override code #317051!" he said in Tallest’s Red voice.

The computer shut off instantly.

The temperature stopped rising and slowly was going back to its initial settings. The door opened and he rushed inside, looking for the other passenger. Heto found it all cracked and hunched in the corner. His hand was burned when he tried to touch it.

"Ion... Will you..." He tried to ask, but was interrupted.

"I... will... live." It had problem speaking. The crystalline looked as it was choking, but since this species had entirely different anatomy, Heto had no idea how to help it. "Need... to... cool... do...own..." it continued.

"Do you... need something?" he asked

"Just leave me alone!" And Heto did.

Several hours later, Ion was feeling much better, its body still cracked. It had to be extremely careful while moving. One wrong step could trigger its entire body breaking to pieces. The crystalline would heal eventually, but only if it had enough minerals to absorb from the environment. The materials on the ship wouldn't do. They had to find a planet soon.

_~.~_

_It began from a punch. Purple hated his sparring partner. Every day, he looked upon his face with disgust. He hated those maroon-colored eyes and that stupid smile he was given everyday. Why was this guy so friendly, couldn't he take a hint? What was his name again Yoto...Yoko... Purple just didn't care. His back was still sore. And the guy was just asking for it. He didn't mean to push it that hard. He didn't mean to put him unconscious, which surprisingly gave him a small prize from Gri._

_"A good soldier never hesitates, don't feel sorry for him." He didn't. Red either didn't know or didn't care. Both cases were fine. They hadn't spoken since that whipping incident. Purple wasn't ready to face him yet._ _Maybe it's for the best. Maybe they just needed a break._

_A week later his sparring partner was fully functional again. "Man, you know how to throw a punch," he said, patting Purple’s shoulder. The violet-eyed irken violently smacked his hand away and hissed. "Don't touch me like that!"_

_"I'm... sorry. Shall we?!" he asked, still trying to be polite, taking out his double bladed axe. Purple prepared his long spear with similar blades, only smaller, thinner and lighter. The violet-eyed irken made a first move. He was fast and gave his opponent little time to defend. The maroon-eyed irken somehow managed to dodge his strike and tried to hit Purple’s stomach with his knee, but he was too slow. Purple pulled the irken’s antenna, which made him lose his balance. That gave the amethyst-eyed irken space to make another strike with his spear. This time he didn't miss and the cold metal came through the young irken’s stomach. Pink transparent liquid had spilled on the floor. His maroon eyes became pailer, blood was dripping through his mouth. Some drops fell on Purple’s face, who still held his victim in the air, trying to comprehend what just happened._

_Death silence filled the room, broken by slow clapping of instructor Gri._

_"Well done Purple. You can put him down already," He said with a smile. "Accidents happen. Besides, may I only remind you that the finals include a death match? If someone is too weak to even last until the year is over, then why bother?" He helped the still-shocked Purple with the body. "You see students, it wasn't even an accident, but natural selection." Gri put a hand on the violet-eyed irken’s shoulder. "And this one here had only proven that he was better. Better start early, right? Now stop staring and get back to work!" He ordered and whispered to Purple. "Now you go to the nurse and I'll take care of the rest." He didn't have to be told twice. The young irken rushed into one of the corridors and ran until he found himself in a secluded area. He was breathing heavily then made a few choking sounds that turned out to be laughter. It only grew louder turning more insane and hysterical._

_~.~_

_Logbooks - Heto_

_ _

_Entry #2_

_I had to shut down the AI system after it tried to kill one of the passengers. Ion is injured but will heal. I need to do everything manually for now. Oh, right! I should update on it. We... I found a crystalline on that fuel station and took her...no... it onto the ship. I have no idea how she.. it... Fuck it! Let's just call it a she! I have no idea for how long she was up there alone. Now I feel bad for all that whining before of how lonely I was... heh... anyway, I'll try to get her to talk. Maybe I'll learn something. I don't think there is anything important left to say... Um... And it's not like I'll have time for it... Not with all that piloting to do... and monitoring the heat levels and all of that shit... Ah... I should probably get to work then._

_End of entry #2_

_~.~_

I’ts been five days since the system override. They were distant at first, but soon loneliness forced them to act. It began with meaningless small talk like "How are you?" or "Are we there yet?" Then they had meals together. Ion started coming to the bridge more often since Heto had to pilot it himself most of the time.

During his break, the irken simply sat down, his back leaning against the door to the cooler.

"Why are you doing this?" asked the crystalline innocently.

"I... don't know. Maybe I like his company?"

“He is a dead guy," Ion said cynically.

"You think I don't know that?! I meant before he was dead... maybe? There is a chance, right?"

It shrugged.

"Hey... what did you mean when you asked me if I am the other one?"

"Never mind that!" the crystalline said scared. "It was a mistake..."

"Ion, did I... hurt you... when I wasn't myself?" he asked, covering his eyes with the lucky charm hat.

"No... I mean you tried to... but, nothing much happened," it assured him.

Heto exhaled, relieved.

~.~

_Finally the news hit one crimson-eyed irken. He spent the whole day looking for his partner, not to mention, best friend. What he didn't know was that Purple did everything to not be found. This forced separation was getting on his nerves. Finally, he managed to spot a familiar figure in the cafeteria. Ha! He knew Purple couldn't skip his snack time. The violet-eyed irken began to run, Red right behind him. They ran down the corridors for what had seemed like hours. Finally they stopped in a dark, surprisingly empty area._

_" Pur" Red took a breath. " Ple!... What the irk is going on with you?! Why are you avoiding me?!" he asked hurt._

_The other youngster was standing mute, clearly not ready to have this conversation. A hum of broken lightbulb was the only sound breaking the silence._

_"You... humiliated me," he finally whispered._

_"Huh?!"_

_"You made me look weak, Red!" Purple was furious. The slightly taller irken had never seen him like this._

_"I-is this still about the whipping thing?” Red asked hesitantly. One look on his partners face was enough. "I just wanted to help, Pur, you know how Gri can be!"_

_"I can handle pain much more than you can." The violet-wearing irken crossed his arms and turned around, resentfully like a little smeet._

_"Oh, for Irks sake! You killed someone Purple! "_

_"Yes! It's what we are training to do, Red!" Purple interrupted. "We will need to start killing sooner or later! I'm sorry if I surpassed you in this aspect!"_

_The crimson-eyed irken had a great urge to facepalm that moment. He just sighed instead and moved closer to the other._

_"Purple," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I know I can be... overprotective sometimes... I'm just... We're changing and I'm scared that... in a few months I won't be able to recognize you anymore."_

_Purple turned to see his partner's face and realized that he had the same feeling too._

_"That is why I did this... I thought that... maybe if I could take some of your pain away, you would stay like this for longer... but... I guess it's too late now."_

_Before he could say more, he was choked under Purple’s embrace._

_"It's ok... just don't do that again... and I'm sorry too," Purple said as he was hugged back. They stayed like this until the curfew was announced and they were separated once more._

_~.~_

Three days later on the bridge. The irken as always was sitting behind the controls, a blue crystalline spread comfortably on a chair next to him.

"How did you even end up on that abandoned station?" Heto asked casually.

"My ship... was caught in an asteroid shower. The engine was damaged and I simply crash-landed here... What I didn't know was that there was no escape from that forsaken place!"

“At least you survived, right?"

"Too bad it was only me... you organics die so fast... though you're only half-organic." The irken tried to read from the crystalline’s face or body language, but found it impossible.

"I'm sorry. H-how did they die?"

Ion was silent, trying to remember. “Two vortians simply ran out of oxygen and... There was also one of your kind... but he... he died in the crash"

"Oh... what was an irken doing in your ship since you apparently hate us so much?" He asked out of curiosity.

"He was... a prisoner... Roke and Meto... the Vortians that is... they... "

"It's okay... you don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

Ion nodded. "I'll go get some rest now."

_~.~_

_Logbooks - Ion_

_Hello, Ion here, the "rescued" passenger... hehe... I'm... trapped... What the hell is going on?! ... The irken, he’s crazy! I don't know if he is Tallest Red... but he probably doesn't know either... He seems different... I-I... don't know what to think... He... I... He tried to kill me! ... but then apologized. I never wanted to find that fucking corpse! I'm sorry... I'm just so confused... Heto... he has these strange jumps... once he is ... himself... another he... I think he doesn't know either... I ..._

_End of entry_

_~.~_

Ion woke up screaming. No matter how much it tried, the same nightmare always came back to haunt the crystalline. It tried to calm itself, humming an old lullaby. A few soft knocks knock it out of the rhythm.

"Ion, are you okay?" asked the sleepy, concerned voice of Heto. "Computer isn't on again? Right?"

"No. No, I'm fine... You can go now." It heard two steps. “Wait!" The crystal shouted. "Can you stay with me for a little while?" it asked shyly.

"Um... Yeah, sure. Why not? May I come in?"

The door opened so Heto considered it an invitation and sat down on the edge of its bed.

"Can I tell you something?" Ion asked. "But you need to promise not to judge me."

Heto thought about it for a while. "I promise."

"I... remember when I told you about those vortians and the irken..." he nodded in confirmation. "Well he... he didn't die... not at first anyway. You see, it was a week after we crashed. A-and you know how the organic are... they obviously became hungry... and there weren't any food left, not even any abandoned old cans on the station... M-meto... He hated your kind... a-and I-I mean it like... for real. They murdered his family." Ion sighed and searched for the right words. "Roke was against it at first... he said this way they won't be any better... but then his hunger... he couldn’t take it anymore... I... my kind doesn't nourish the way you do... one day Roke put the irken unconscious and... and it was Meto who did all the work..."

It paused for a moment, Heto didn't rush it, already suspecting where the story was going. "I wasn't with them when they did it... but when I came back, the irken was still alive... they cut off his arms and ate them... before his eyes... he-he begged me for mercy... to finish him... since he couldn't do it himself..." The crystalline began to sob. "And I did it. I killed him... They were about to eat him anyway, right? Then... then they came back. Meto was angry. He said that now the meat was going to rot... and that it was my fault they are gonna starve to death... I ran... and a few days later, when I was observing them... they were giving each other those weird looks... like animals do... I preferred to stay away... and when I came back again, their oxygen apertures were broken...and I was all alone there." Ion began to sob uncontrollably, tiny crystal dust falling from its eyes. The irken didn't know what to do. The uneasiness only worsened when the crystal hugged his waist.

"A-am I a-a bad person?" it asked.

"I... don't think so... sometimes you need to make hard decisions... and people make mistakes, but everyone deserves a second chance. I think you deserve a second chance... there is a future before us and we need to make the best of it. So please... I'm not telling you to forget what had happened... I'm just saying, you should... give yourself a chance... We can't change the past, but we can make the future... Never forget the past, learn from it." He seemed distant, but was shocked back into reality by one of Ion’s sharpen crystals as it pierced into his body.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I should be more careful." The crystalline let go of him, hands curling around its knees again.

"So... you think there is still a chance for us?" it whispered.

"Yeah."

_~.~_

_The training pairs were rescheduled. Purple thought that maybe he could be paired up with Red. He searched for his partner on the huge timetable and gasped, surprised when he learned that he was going to be trained by instructor Gri himself._

_He felt a pat on his shoulder. "I saw a potential in you, cadet. Don't disappoint me," Gri said in a calm voice with a hint of excitement. Purple gulped silently._

_"I'll try my best, Sir."_

_He was a little scared, but it was caused more by the rush of adrenaline. Purple grinned, now it was getting interesting._

_ _

_~.~_

A green light was lit on the bridge. Finally a suitable place to land. It was a planet of Rock people that Invader Flobee was assigned to. Of course, the inhabitants weren't aware of that. The planet seemed untouched. No irken insignia burned on it. It seemed healthy and young. Surprised, but the happy crystalline hugged the irken with different eyes.

Heto took the controls and smiled. There was a future ahead of them after all.

  


 


	3. Chapter 3

  _Every time he walked down the hallway, an aura of fear was released. Everyone immediately stepped away to make way for him. He was the top student after all. In earth terms, he would be simply called a bully. No one was brave enough to look him in the eye. Those eyes were the color of Irk’s night sky; only something evil twinkled in them instead of stars._

      _Purple stopped before the well-known door and knocked three times._

      _"Come in!" said the raspy voice, and the young irken did. The room was cold and pedantically organised. It seemed so sterile that no living organism could live in it._

      _"Hello Gri!" the violet-eyed irken greeted. The other answered with a hand gesture._

      _"Kid, today I'm gonna show you something different," Gri said, opening a hidden door in the wall. A smell of humid filled the room. "You've proven to be ruthless and obedient.... Listen... What I've thought may help you in battle, but this can define your career." He explained further._

      _Purple was eager to learn more, but he knew well that Gri will tell him everything in the right time, so he waited patiently for the elder to continue._

      _They walked in silence for a while. Only their steps could be heard in the unused tunnels. It was cold and dark. The closer they got to the light source, the more sounds that became recognizable. They were screams. So the old guy took him to the dungeons, Purple thought. The dungeons was a secret place that everyone knew about, but it was never spoken of out of fear. It was where defects and thought criminals ended up, or sometimes just knowing too much could make you disappear forever. Thus it was easier and safer to pretend it didn't exist._

      _Purple was intrigued and curious. He always wondered how this place really stopped before a huge metal rusty door. It looked old, definitely over a hundred years. Gri smiled to him and pushed the enormous gateway to every irken’s hell._

     ~.~

     Heto, despite being a great pilot, had a big problem making this landing. The planet had an enormous gravity field. The whole ship shaked, the vibrations affected Ion, making the cracks wider. She won't last for long in this conditions. The irken tried to stabilize it. The pod entered the atmosphere and they were pulled up even more. They could see the planet's surface clearly now. It was mostly gray and green, with some purples and blues occasionally popping out. The rich vegetation seemed calm and inviting, the enormous rock formation had a truly breathtaking effect. The planet was clearly young, and life on its surface was in bloom. There was no time to admire the view though. Heto’s pak sounded like a starting engine. He desperately tried to remind himself of all the pilot tricks from his previous life. The memories were hard to access, there was some kind of password on them. He tried to override the pak’s system harder. The collision was in 3...2..1...

     ~.~

      _Purple was introduced to various torture devices, like it was just a common museum trip. He listened carefully when his mentor explained to him how each one worked. He really liked the skin peeler. Irkens are really fast regenerators so there was a lot of open possibilities, all depending on the tormentor’s imagination. And Purple had a very rich imagination. He smiled to himself._

      _"I see you cannot wait, ha kid?" asked Gri, smiling back._

      _The violet-eyed irken nodded. His instructor smiled widely and, with a swift motion, he struck Purple with the peeler he so enjoyed. It hit him in the arm, a piece of skin was hanging off. Some blood dropped on the floor._

      _"If you want to be a part of this, you'll need to learn all kinds of pain. Not only the one you learned during training. I got the same treatment when I was invited and, trust me, recruiting doesn't happen very often." Purple expected Gri to keep attacking him, but the old man didn't make a move._

      _"What do you want me to do?" he asked with a confused tone, noticing two slender figures hidden in the shadows._

      _"You need to volunteer for this," Gri said in a solemn, raspy voice. "Then me and my colleagues will perform a ritual. If you really want to be a part of this. The dungeons are an ancient organisation, we've been serving the Empire since the pre-pak era... We are professionals at what we do and our art requires sacrifices. The ritual will take three days and during this time you'll learn... torture. You don't need to decide right now, take your time, put a lot of thought into it. Oh! And remember no one speaks of the dungeons." The old irken grinned_

     ~.~

     The landing was amortized by the vegetation. The ship was indeed of royal quality. There were of course some scratches here and there, but besides that, the vessel was in a perfect state. As for the passengers, their condition wasn't so obvious. They were both shocked, sitting there like stone statues.

     The crystalline made a few steps. She opened her mouth, trying to say something, but sat down on the cold floor instead and sighed deeply, clearly relieved. Her body was still holding, though the cracks made it look worse than her injuries actually were.

     "Heto, are you alright?" she asked. There was no answer for a very long time. His hands were clenched to the consoles, and his eyes were staring into the nothingness.

     "Yeah... I'm fine..." he said quietly. His voice sounded somewhat hollow. Ion wasn't convinced.

     "I don't know about you, but I would love to go outside," she suggested.

     Heto still wasn't moving. Then suddenly he pressed some buttons, raised up and rushed out of the cockpit. Ion was confused as ever and she followed him in a hurry. She found him standing on the edge of the open hatch. The green forest looked welcoming and safe, a polar opposite of the ship.

     The irken’s bi-colored eyes looked on this whole new world with an empty stare. It scared him, it was like... like there was no one in his body. Heto made a step back and he was immediately pushed out of the ship by the crystalline. He fell on his knees, feeling the bluish grass with his hands. Finally after weeks or even months of being imprisoned, they were free. As it turned out, it was a bit too much for the irken and he went into an agoraphobic shock. Everything became blurry, and the sun was too bright, he forgot how to breathe.

     Then he was kicked in the ass by the sentient crystal. It worked surprisingly well.

     "I should be angry with you..." Heto growled "Just... don't do that again."

     "I'll make no such promises," Ion said in her usual cheeky tone.

     They nodded to each other and stared, looking for any signs of civilization.

     Ion cursed something in her native tongue and turned back to say something to the irken, but he was nowhere to be seen. Surprised, she looked around and heard rustling of the leaves. The crystal looked up and saw Heto climbing up a tree. Soon he was on the highest branch.

     "Do you see anything?" asked Ion as loud as she could.

     "I can't see shit!" Heto yelled back.

     There was nothing but a forest stretching until the horizon. They were in a valley surrounded by mountains. The irken turned around, focused his eyes, and there it was. A smoke cloud raising in the air form something that seemed to be a wooden cottage. He looked at the area for a little longer to memorize the path. After Heto was sure, he climbed down to tell Ion the news.

     ~.~

      _Red’s recharging session was interrupted by a constant hard knock at his door. Highly irritated, he stood up and opened it. His eyes met a very shaken-off Purple._

      _"May I come in?" he asked innocently._

      _Red nodded and invited him inside. "It's been a while..." he said qualitatively, but the violet-eyed irken didn't seem to hear._

      _"Red," he whispered._

      _The scarlet-eyed irken turned and eventually noticed the nasty wound on the other’ss arm. He rushed to get some bandages but was stopped by Purple who grabbed his shirt._

      _"Don't ... I'll take care of it later."_

      _Red sat down next to him, he took Purple’s hand in his own._

      _"Red... I ... What do you think of me?" he asked, looking straight into the scarlet eyes._

      _"What do you mean?"_

      _"Am I... never mind." Purple broke the eye contact "I just wanted to say that I might be gone for three days or so."_

      _"What, why?" Red placed a hand under his partner’s chin and forced him to make eye contact._

      _"Gri... got me some special additional training,” he said in an emotionless voice. “It's for the invited only."_

      _The crimson-eyed irken frowned, but knew that no matter what he said, he couldn't change Purple’s mind. "Just be careful, alright?" he said, looking into the amethyst-like eyes._

      _"I will," he whispered, connecting their foreheads together. "I... can't really tell anyone what this is all about... but... It's an ambitious thing..."_

      _"Purple," Red interrupted "You don't need to prove anything. If you don't want to do it then refuse him. Gri isn't the one making all the decisions. Even if..."_

      _"Stop! I can handle it." He made a break and looked deep in tho the scarlet eyes. "I can handle it, and then I'll come back stronger than ever."_

      _Red fought with his thoughts for a while, holding his partners hand tight._

      _"It's your decision Purple," he said quietly. "Just be sure you won't regret it."_

      _The violet-eyed irken nodded and asked, quietly, "Can I stay with you tonight?"_

      _Red, instead of answering, pushed Purple, making him lie down. He soon put himself into a similar position, arm under his partner’s neck._

      _"Thanks," whispered Purple._

     ~.~

     They walked through the thick forest for what seemed like hours and since they didn’t have any time-measuring devices, it could be that long. The cottage wasn't far, but there was no path leading to it, so they had to make one. Heto found a machete on the ship and cut off some branches and vines. At least they way back would be much easier. Ion, still cracked after that AI accident, couldn't be of any help. She just tagged along slowly behind him, refusing to stay on the ship. Maybe it was wiser to stick together.

     The irken groaned in anger, while cutting another purple vine. Why couldn't there be anything more useful on the ship?! Like a small land ship or a voot cruiser. It was a royal escape pod, big enough to have such things on board. Then he remembered that his pak was equipped with four bladed pak legs. Heto mentally facepalmed himself and activated them. The huge spine implant responded with more of those strange buzzing sounds that could mark an irken as defective on a spot. It refused to open. He rolled his bi-colored eyes and opened the three black spots manually and the four blades came out with no problem. Controlling them was another thing. At first, they were chaotically swinging around, then very slowly they stopped and their movements seemed more planned and smooth. Ion thankfully was far enough to not get hit by the extra limbs of her companion. It looked threatening, especially when she noticed that the irken had no control over them. After what she survived through, dying like this would be at least disappointing, not to say stupid.

 "That’s more like it!" Heto exclaimed, getting to grub the forest more seriously now. They progressed faster and, an hour later, there it was, a small wooded cottage with a smoke coming out of the chimney.

     "Don't stand there, just knock!" Ion ordered.

     "You do it!" he snorted. "Since when do I take orders from you?!"

     "Fiiine!" she hissed and knocked at the door three times.

     They waited a few minutes until a small, sleepy irken in a bathrobe and slippers opened the door.

     "Can I help you with something?" he asked, a little bit surprised by the unexpected guest, his pink eyes looking up at the crystalline.

     "Invader Flobee?" Heto said out loud. The tiny irken looked around. He tried to say something, but his mouth wasn't capable of producing word at the moment. The Almighty Tallest? Here? It couldn't be.

     They looked at him in an awkward silence. Heto just shook his head with a serious expression. Flobee noded.

     "P-please come in." He invited them inside, and the duo eagerly used the opportunity to get some rest from the wild forest.

   ~.~

      _Journal entry_

      _After years of hard work, and pain my efforts had finally paid off. I've become an Invader and I’m wearing this title with pride. I admit that I was trained from the resources after the disaster that was Operation Impending Doom 1, when all of the previous invaders mysteriously died._

      _Today I'll be visiting Conventia to get my first planet to conquer._

      _I was assigned to a planet known to us as Merro. It's people are sentient rock formations, at least twice as tall than an average irken. I landed in the woods near the biggest native settlement, when I made my base._

      _Day 1 of information gathering._

      _My holo-disuse generator is broken, so I had to improvise. I tied up a bunch of rock to my body. The natives are so primitive that they didn't notice. I was able to learn that their society is divided to a taunts of small tribes, each has a chief and a shaman. The village is also made out of rocks, some of the "houses" are natural caves. All of the creatures seems to be adults. I wonder how they reproduce._

      _Day 2_

      _I met the local shaman today. It's probably a female. She has some concerns about me. That one might be smarter than the rest. I might have to dispose of her later._

      _Day 3_

      _My base was broken into. I was carried out by some kind of plant creature and brought into the shaman’s cave. She knows I'm an alien and suspects what my true mission is. I tried to convince her that I'm a simple researcher but she still remains skeptical. She says that her minions will keep a close eye on me. I feel watched constantly. Even now in the most private part of my base._

      _Day 4_

      _I'm afraid to go out. She is there waiting for me. I'll stay inside and upgrade the security system today._

      _Day 5_

      _I'm surrounded. I don't know what to do. Security was disabled, I have no idea how!_

      _It might be the end of me. I'm sorry I failed my empire._

     ~.~

     Flobee didn't know what to do with his unexpected guests. They just stood there in the living room, saying nothing. The inside of the cottage turned out to be a standard invader base. Large pipes and pieces of equipment were sticking out of the walls.

     "So..." the little invader tried to start a conversation, "I'll go and make some tea first.”

     Heto looked at Ion, then addressed the invader. "I'll go and help you."

     Small drips of sweat appeared on the small irkens forehead. "Sure... T-this way." He stumbled and led the way to a small, old-fashioned kitchen. Flobee made sure to lock and soundproof this section of the base. The bi-color eyed irken relaxed visibly.

     "So... is true?" began Flobee. "About the fall of the e-empire?” The tall one nodded.

     "Any other survivors?"

     "Probably, though getting them all together would be a bad idea... considering it would make us an easier target," he said solemnly.

     The invader agreed.

     "... M-may I ask... w-what happened to the other one?" Flobee said, knowing the answer just by looking at the tall irken.

     "It's complicated," Heto said, his thoughts drifting to some other place.

     "What are you going to do, my Tall..."

     "Stop with the formalities!" he interrupted. "I don't know yet. I'll need to gather some information first. Can I count on you for help?"

     Flobbe saluted in agreement.

     ~.~

      _Invader Flobee picked through the widow of his base. It was still surrounded. He couldn't make any faces. Were they people from the village? No. The shadows looked too thin... His eyes met two green lights, and the irken realized that he was staring for far too long._

      _"Alright, that's enough!" exclaimed the feminine voice, belonging to the shaman. "I just want to talk. You can come out now."_

      _"How do I know you won't kill me when I do?!" Flobee yelled back_

      _"How do I know you won't call your leaders and destroy my planet?" the shaman shouted back._

      _The scared invader decided that it was fair enough. There was nothing else to loose. He opened the door and slowly came out. Before him stood only one native. Where did the other go?_

      _"There were no others," the shaman said. Could she read thoughts?_

      _"No, I can't read your thoughts, if that's what you're wondering."_

      _"B-but how?" the trembling irken asked._

      _"You should know by now, that I am simply smarter than everyone else.” She smiled._

      _"What do you want, shaman?" Flobee asked after a longer break. He kept his distance._

      _"Come with me," she said, pointing into a direction she wanted to go. "And stop calling me a shaman. My name is Shi-lele."_

      _"What is there...?" he asked slowly._

      _"It will be easier to show you than to explain." With that, the invader shrugged and obeyed the rock woman._

     ~.~

     Ion stood alone in the room, feeling uneasy. She never felt comfortable around irkens, even if she recently made an exception for one tall and intriguing one. They were talking for so long. Were they plotting? No... she was just paranoid. Was she? Heto was acting suspiciously ever since they landed. He was different, or maybe it was just because of the huge environment change. She was free now... well, as soon as the crack filled again. It might take a few weeks. Or she could depressant right here and there. Would Heto look for her, now that they found another irken.

     Her train of thoughts were interrupted by the two walking out of the kitchen area. The smaller one was carrying a tray with green pot and matching teacups on it. If she remembered, irkens were more into snacks than tea, or any other type of food for that matter.

     Flobee noticing the silent question said. "I learned it from the natives. It was to blend in at first, but now I'm doing it for pleasure. The burning effect of water was neutralized by the Pina leaves... and I learned the hard way; that I should always put them in, no matter what I'm drinking. It works well. Works good in bathing water, too. This planet is amazing." He smiled widely, sparks of passion appearing in his eyes. The invader was about to continue, but was interrupted by Ion.

     "Wait... weren't you supposed to conquer that planet?"

     Flobee’s smile turned vertically. He said with a serious expression, "Initially... yes. But then... a friend opened my eyes. And I'm glad that I didn't... especially now considering what happened."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to TeaTimeDesigns without whom this fic wouldn't even existed and to my wonderful beta-reader.  
> Reviews would be appreciated for both the story and the illustrations.


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